by Shontaiye
The duo proceeded to make their way into the Brooklyn hi-rise that was a staple in the slums. As they made their way into the dark, piss smelling halls, a mangy gray cat scurried over Mann’s feet, further rattling his nerves.
“Fuck,” he murmured, before sending the cat sailing from the swift kick of his foot. Mann’s actions caused Zeke to chuckle. It was only a cat. He figured he just had a lot on his mind. When they reached the door Mann proceeded to perform the custom knock Dodda requested. Three seconds later, Ty pulled the door open and allowed the two cousins to enter. He didn’t bother to greet the two. He didn’t care much for the young man Dodda liked so much.
Ty’s dry dreads stood taller than before and appeared to be matted in the back. Mann noticed he still carried the same nine millimeter in his waist. Garlan was in his assigned spot by the door near the room Dodda sat in. However, he was heavily armed with an AR 15 assault rifle.
They walked to the back where Dodda was talking on the phone. He quickly ended his conversation when he saw Mann.
“Ok boi, I gotta go. I be dere soon to grab it,” he said, before using his black hand to push the end button on his phone.
“Hey Mann boy,” he smiled cheerfully. He considered Mann one of his most loyal customers.
“Wassup big homie. Everything good? Trying to get this shit and get on the road,” Mann stated casually. He had not an ounce of guilt for what he was about to do.
“Yeah, everyting good. I just gotta make a run and I be back soon…Business good eh?” he asked, his dry, shoulder length dreads dangling at the sides. “You back soon and you buy much more,” he smiled, his heavy Jamaican accent still prevalent.
“Yeah business is real good. Me and my patna been making some moves.”
“Good. Good. Well sit down and get comfortable Mann. I be back soon,” he stated before walking off. As he walked to the door Mann’s heart began to race and he felt adrenaline rush through his body. Zeke looked at him for confirmation. As soon as the door slammed, Mann reached in his waist and withdrew his sound suppressed Glock 9. One, two, three, four, five, he counted the seconds.
“Swoop Swoop!”
The silenced gun sounded like a basketball going perfectly through the hoop. The bullet ripped through the barrel and pierced Garlan’s skull. His big black body immediately crumpled to the dirty floor. A small mist of blood coated the wall along with brain matter. As soon as Ty heard the sound he wildly swung around and hit the floor, immediately reaching for his gun. He was too late, Zeke already had his drawn to quickly and quietly release two shots to Ty’s chest. He struggled for breath while making eye contact with Mann. He should have checked him at the door. It was Dodda’s fault. Dodda viewed Mann as family…but he wasn’t. He had warned Dodda about “snake eyes.” That is what he called him because he could see through the smooth talk and lies. He knew Mann was a snake; he could see it as clear as day in his eyes. Now they would pay the price for Dodda’s ignorance. Ty went to speak but was silenced by the bullet Mann put through his cheek.
“I told you aim for his fuckin head,” Mann snapped. “The goal is to kill.” The two bodies lying in the living room floor didn’t bother him one bit. He had killed before and he had no problem killing again.
The two quickly exited the apartment and took the steps to catch Dodda. As they fled the building, they saw Dodda getting in the driver side. Scared he would drive off, Mann called out to him. Mann could have waited for Dodda to return with the specified amount of drugs, but Mann wanted everything Mann had at his home.
“Dodda,” Mann called out a second time, slightly out of breath from running down the stairs.
Dodda peered back at the building and saw Mann approaching his van with Zeke. He looked at the two confused, but still waited. He became more puzzled when Mann by-passed his window and hopped in the front passenger seat of the van. Zeke was right behind him.
“What’s goin on?” he asked.
Mann pulled his gun back out and aimed it at Dodda’s midsection.
“Drive the fucking car to the crib. I want everything. You already know what it is,” he calmly stated to his mentor.
“Mann?” he asked in the form of a question. His large poppy eyes searched Mann’s for answers. Dodda was at a loss for words. He continued to search Mann’s eyes for truth, and found all that he needed. He found deceit and years full of lies. He had grown to care for Mann like a son. He should had never trusted him enough to let him enter the side house without being searched. He glanced up to the apartment and knew his cousins were dead.
Mann wiped the sweat away from his bald head while he kept his other gloved hand tightly gripped around his Glock. Zeke said nothing. He was merely a sidekick, there for added muscle.
“Dere’s nothing at da house but my family. I was on my way to pick up,” he stated. There was no way in hell he was taking them to his house with his wife and son. He would readily die first.
Mann grinned and looked back at Zeke. He had hit the fucking jackpot. Instead of weed, Dodda had cold hard cash.
“Where is it?” Mann asked, with the gun still pointed, and a cold smile still stretching across his face.
“It’s in da side panel attached to da door.”
Dodda didn’t bother to question Mann about why he was doing what he was doing. He was disappointed since he had shown nothing but love to the young nigga since he met him in the penitentiary. What attracted him to Mann was the hunger in his eyes; his passion. Ironically that is what he would use to betray him with. Mann was hungry for money and Dodda had plenty. He knew better than to put so much trust into Mann. He had nothing when he met him, not even the basic necessities such as commissary. He remembered feeding the youngster on numerous occasions. Although saddened by his betrayal, Dodda too had his own reasons for keeping the much younger Mann around.
While locked away age eventually began to overcome him. While the time on Earth made him wiser, it was like his kryptonite, making him weaker. He was no longer able to physically defend himself the way he used to. Mann served as his protector. He had a violent reputation in the prison and that alone was enough to keep Dodda from the deadly grasp of the wolves behind the prison walls. Dodda should have known this day was inevitable. He had led himself to foolishly believe something other. There was no such thing as loyalty anymore in these cold streets.
As Zeke ripped off the side paneling of the back door of Dodda’s Toyota Sienna, Mann’s eyes lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree. The bundles of cash were neatly counted and taped to the inside of the door.
“Check the other one,” he instructed Zeke. He knew there was more. Once Zeke ripped open the other side, he saw more neatly stacked bundles. It was $600,000 in all. Enough for 2,000 pounds of weed; his monthly shipment.
Dodda’s eyes frantically darted around the parking lot searching for a way to escape. Bullets were the norm in that section of Brownsville. He wasn’t worried about the money, he had plenty at his home. What worried him was that Mann’s eyes displayed a bitter coldness. He knew he planned to kill him. Besides, he knew the old saying well, “If they’re masked up they’re coming for your ice. If they’re bare faced they’re coming for your life.” Neither of the two attempted to conceal their faces. He regretted having the dark tint applied to the windows of the van. Mann laughed hysterically at the sight of all the money.
“What you want me to put it in?” Zeke asked Mann. They had come thinking they would be snatching duffel bags of weed. They had nowhere to put the money. Mann thought for a second and then began pulling off his jacket to load the cash. While he did that, he foolishly placed the gun in the center of his lap. Seizing the opportunity, Dodda grabbed for the gun, cocked it and immediately fired.
The bullet from the Glock shattered the window and missed Mann’s head by a mere inch. Dodda continued to fire wildly in the car as Mann fought for dear life to get the gun out of his hands. He quickly overpowered the older man with the help of his cousin.
As soon a
s Mann got ahold of the weapon, he fired three shots into Dodda’s chest, killing him nearly instantly.
“Fuck ass nigga,” he yelled, shaken by the fact that Dodda had almost bodied him. “Zeke get the money,” he firmly stated, while wiping Dodda’s splattered blood away from his face. They had to get the fuck outta dodge. It was broad daylight and the cops would eventually show up.
“Zeke, you hear me,” he asked again, as he continued to wipe at his eyes. Zeke didn’t respond.
Mann turned around to speak to his cousin, but lost his breath when he saw Zeke was slumped over the seat with a hole through the front of his head.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Mann yelled hysterically in the van, as he punched on the dashboard. The sight of his dead cousin was enough to bring him to his knees. Mann sobbed deeply, his chest heaving up and down. However, no tears fell. The pain was deeper than that. It was his fault; he got his cousin killed. He looked back at his cousin and knew what he would have to do. He would have to leave him. Mann threw his hoodie over his head and hopped out of the car. The snow was coming down much heavier and was turning the area into what appeared to be a winter wonderland. However, he knew that it was no wonderland. It was nothing more than a white, snow covered jungle.
After he retrieved all the money from the door panels, he quickly walked to where his rented van was parked and loaded up the cash.
He opened the trunk and searched for the spare gas container the rental company provided. He was happy to see there was still gas in it. He felt in his pocket for his lighter and carefully headed back to the car, looking around to make sure no one saw him. After opening the door, Mann quickly doused Dodda with the gas. He snatched a loose bill from his pocket and lit it, before throwing it on Dodda’s dead body and running back to his van. The fire ripped through the van, burning every piece of evidence and fingerprint in it. It also destroyed what was left of his cousin Zeke.
SIX
Shaleea
Shaleea walked out of Dr. Davis’s office around 10am with a seemingly permanent smile covering her face. She was excited. Her doctor had confirmed she was indeed pregnant and estimated her to be around five weeks. It was Noah’s baby and she couldn’t wait to tell him. Her last pregnancy she had only carried for two months before finding out the baby was in her tube, but this time her doctor did an ultrasound and confirmed the baby was attached to the uterus.
She already knew exactly how she would tell him and Heaven. This was a big moment and she planned to tell them together. She didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl; she was just thankful.
Shaleea was also happy that Mann should definitely get the picture now that she was pregnant by Noah. Life was almost perfect. Now she could get an understanding with Mann so he would stop the games. Sadly nothing ever goes according to plans.
Eve
Eve looked out the window of the city bus and took in the beauty outside of it. The earth in front of her was covered in a thick blanket of snow at least five inches high. Although the weather made traveling difficult, Eve still braved it in search of her baby’s father. For the past several months, a few times a week she would spend half the day traveling to each of Noah’s laundromats in search of him. So far she hadn’t run into him but she truly believed that she would eventually.
Eve looked down at her stomach. She was now three months pregnant. Even though she wasn’t very far she was already starting to show. This was becoming a problem since her body was her bread and butter. The further along she advanced in her pregnancy, the more she realized how important it was for her to find Noah. As she looked in the lightly occupied, snow covered parking lot, she smiled. Today was her lucky day.
Noah
Noah spotted Eve as she speed walked to his car. He noticed she had a pocket knife in her hand as he quickly raced to her with his fist balled up at his sides. He already knew what she was about to try to do.
“Yo what the fuck are you doing up here?” he asked with a growl. He couldn’t yell like he wanted since Shaleea was nearby inside the back office talking to Susan and reviewing some paperwork. They had planned to leave any minute and Shaleea was going to be walking out very soon. He had to get Eve out of sight fast.
“You’ve been ignoring my fucking calls and trying to flee me like I’m a bum bitch. All you give a fuck about is that hoe in there,” she said, pointing to the building.
“How she gon feel when I tell her I’m three months pregnant with your child… Huh dickhead?!” she asked. “You woulda known that if you hadn’t been ignoring me and then changed your number.” She folded her knife and safely placed it back in her pocket. She was glad she was able to quietly get his attention.
Noah stood outside at a loss for words when she made her revelation. Fuck! he yelled internally. The last thing he needed was for Eve’s ass to go to Shaleea and lie about being pregnant by him. Things were going good between them and there was no way on God’s green earth that he would let her fuck that up again.
Pulling her by her arm, Noah pulled her closely to him. They were now nose to nose.
“Bitch if you are fuckin pregnant it’s not mine. And don’t you fucking even think of stepping to my girl with that nut shit. I promise you won’t get the results you’re looking for,” he snarled threateningly. He no longer had a use for Eve and he had no time to play games with her. She had caused enough problems.
“Don’t flatter yourself nigga. I don’t have to lie on you. The last time we met up in December you were drunk. We fucked raw dumb ass. It’s ya baby….I will have it and you will take care of both of us, or you can kiss your relationship with that black ass bitch goodbye,” she snarled, while making a bye gesture with her fingers. Just as he was about to respond Susan walked out of the laundromat.
“He’s outside Shaleea,” she stated by the door, after seeing Noah standing at the car. Shaleea wasn’t too far behind her following her out. She had been looking for him so they could leave.
In a panic, Noah reached in his pocket and hit the unlock button on his key fob. “Get the fuck in the truck before she see you,” he whispered with anger.
Rolling her eyes, Eve slowly got in Noah’s Range Rover. The windows were darkly tinted so Shaleea couldn’t see inside. Luckily for Noah she didn’t see Eve but he wasn’t sure if Susan did or not.
“Hey babe, what you doing outside in the cold?” she asked, before leaning in to give him a kiss. Seeing the two of them made Eve want to cry. She wished Noah would love her like he loved Shaleea. He made it very clear he didn’t.
“I had to make a phone call and the machines were loud…Listen I gotta handle some shit at the truck. Truck manager just called and said it’s two employees over there bout to get it on. I’m gon run over and talk to them real quick. I’ll be home after okay…You want me to bring you anything?” he asked, hoping she would hurry up so he could dump Eve off somewhere.
“No I’m okay, but what time are you going to be back in. Heaven is having her chorus concert this evening at six. That’s just a few hours…Everyone is going to be there to see her sing and she’s expecting you there as well.”
“I’m just gonna handle this real quick and I’ll meet you at the house. Tell Heaven don’t worry. I’ll be there,” he smiled.
“Ok,” she said, before giving him a kiss and walking off to her own car. He was happy they had driven separate cars that day. The sight in front of her made Eve sick. She was tempted to hop out and cause a scene. Once Shaleea walked off Noah quickly got in the car and prepared to deal with Eve’s ass.
After turning on the car, Noah quickly pulled off out of the parking lot. He didn’t feel secure knowing Shaleea was so close by. After driving for a few minutes and making sure Shaleea didn’t follow him, he let his fury spill out.
“Yo what the fuck is wrong with you?!” he asked, looking at Eve like she had lost her mind. The anger caused lines to appear on his forehead and sweat to form on his nose.
“I already told you why I had to come up here. I’m al
ready starting to show and I can’t make any money dancing,” she stated, with the half-truth. “I need security Noah…A house, a car, stuff for the baby…I need you.”
“Are you stupid or something?” he asked her. “Can you not hear? You can’t keep that baby. If what you say is true and it is mine, you can’t keep it. I have my own situation. I have a fucking family…I already have a kid on the way by my girl,” he revealed.
After Shaleea came from the doctor’s office she went to Hallmark and got a gift box to wrap up her pregnancy test and sonogram. She presented it to Noah and Heaven as soon as Heaven got out of school. Noah was elated and it angered him that Eve was coming to him with the bullshit and most likely lies.
“So I’m good enough to fuck, but I ain’t good enough to have your baby!?” Eve questioned, immediately growing upset.
“You want me to kill my baby but that bitch can keep hers?” she asked. “You have more than enough money to take care of our baby too!” This was not how the situation was supposed to go.
“Eve…I love her. I have a family. Whatever we have is over. I’m gon try to do right by her… them. As fucked up as it sounds, you can’t have that baby. You gotta get rid of it. I’ll give you whatever you need to make that happen, and I’ll throw in some extra to help you get on ya feet after…But you can’t keep it….” he stated firmly, watching the tears well up in her eyes.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what I put you through, but…I gotta do what’s right from this point on,” he revealed sincerely.
He knew what role he played in the months’ worth of drama, but Eve had truly brought it on herself when she played like a child in a grown-up game.
Although what Noah was saying made sense to him, to Eve, what he was saying was nothing more than selfish inaudible words that she couldn’t make out. They sat in silence the remainder of the ride, except for Eve telling him where to drop her off. When she finally exited the car Noah gave her his number and told her to contact him when she set up the appointment. He wanted to be with her when it all happened. Even though he wasn’t sure if the baby was his or not, he couldn’t risk taking the chance and not handling the problem.
